My Forever 21 Inspiration

So, lately, I have been thinking a lot about talents and sharing talents.  I kind of wish I had more of them.  So, I have been making a mental note of things I would like to "explore".  I cannot guarantee that I will be proficient at all the things I try, but I am going to try anyways.  I just feel like I have so much more to give...  Here are a few things I want to learn about and (hopefully) become better at...

1) I would like to learn how to sew...  and by "sew", I mean, be able to sew, alter, upcycle, and design.  (I think it runs in my family....  My mom can sew, my Auntie Sandra can sew, and my grandma can sew.   I also "borrow" good sewing vibes from Aunt Tami and Aunt Rhonda.) 

2)  I would like to learn how to play the piano...  and then the violin.  I have always wanted to be able to share some sort of musical ability...  but I don't have any as of yet.  (Hence, this list).

3) I want to learn how to write children's literature.  I am taking an Intro to Children's Lit course this semester and it really fascinates me.  I would love to be creative and write children's stories based on challenges they face in the world today.

4) Photography.  I could never paint or sculpt, but I think I could do photography.  I would love to learn how to look at the world from a different angle.  :)

5) I want to learn the proper way to swim...  I made it to maroon when I was a kid and I could swim to save my life, but I have always wanted to learn all the proper techniques and swim strokes.  I would love to be able to go to the pool before school or an exam and swim lengths.  It would be a way to clear the mind and work the body...

Anyways, this is not really what this post is all about.  And, the list goes much longer, but I am getting off track.  

The other day, I went into Forever 21.  I don't really shop there very often because the store always seems such a mess....  but there are some real treasures to be found there if you are willing to look.  Anyways, I had to go to the mall to get a book for school (that cost 55 bucks, bleh) and I decided to look around.  I have been avoiding the malls lately in an attempt to stop the accumulation of STUFF.  No, this is not a spending strike that you hear about all over the blogosphere these days....  It is just an attempt to simplify my life.  It actually feels pretty good.  I even went through my closet and gave away a bunch of stuff that I love, but never wear.  (How tragic is that?  Having pretty things hang in your closet... and never wearing them).  Anways... we were talking about my trip to the mall... I stopped in a store to take a peek and I stumbled across these...

I fell in love with them...  And they were my inspiration for my first project on the road to accumulating more talents.  (ha!)  I love the silver and light blue together.  

So, I decided to make a dress for MYSELF that matched the idea/color scheme of these earrings!  (I have not sewn something for myself since the pj's in high school).  

I won't lie...  it took me a long time to sew this dress.  (Like 5 hours)  But I would like to just mention that, since I am trying to get better at sewing, I wouldn't cut any corners on the project.  I ironed, pinned, marked, re-ironed, pinned again, and ironed again.  And here is the finished product:

Front View:

(There are pleats on the front that are hard to see in the photo).

 From the Back:

 (As you can see, modelling is not currently one of my talents... but, I did figure out how to use the self-timer on my camera!  That's something to be proud of I think...)

It is definitely not the most flattering dress out there, but, man, is it comfy!  And I made it out of a lightweight wool fabric that was "like butter"!  

I think it will look really cute with a belt and cardigan.  Good thing I have both of those at home (since I am avoiding malls at the moment).

Do you want to know the best part?  Well, 2 "best parts" really.

1) It turned out exactly how it was supposed to... that has never happened to me before!

2) Total cost?  Including the earings, this outfit cost a total of $4.75.  Beat that Banana!